There may not be any one formula for effective governance. But that has not stopped academics and philosophers over the centuries from trying to make one. In ancient Greece, Plato imagined what the ideal state might look like. The Roman statesman Cicero took up the exercise three centuries later, writing a 400-page book, On Government, and the Islamic scholar Al Farabi made a similar effort 1,000 years after that.
Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s most formidable practitioners of statecraft, once said "a leader is a dealer in hope". He would have had a tough time applying this aphorism in 2022. In just its first three months, Covid-19, new wars, a historic refugee crisis and a global economy under threat are already undermining earlier optimism that 2022 might be a year of recovery for the world.
But leadership is about navigating the bad as well as the good; "Hard times create strong men", wrote author G Michael Hopf in a post-apocalyptic novel. We are far from this level of catastrophe, but there is little doubt that current hardship is forming a new generation of remarkable people who can help get the world out of it.
Finding and empowering them is an important part of the World Government Summit, which this year will be held in Dubai on March 29 and 30. The event gives thousands of the world's most senior politicians, government officials and experts a forum to discuss positive ways forward. This year, topics include post-pandemic recovery, sustainability, health care, cities of the future and managing the Metaverse.
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Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and chairman of the World Government Summit Organisation, speaks at the WGS Dialogue at the Museum of the Future in Dubai. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Since its inception in 2013, the summit has championed the mission of shaping future governments and creating a better future for humanity. -
Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth, at the event. -
The summit has established a new model to collaborate on an international level. -
Abdulla bin Touq, Minister of Economy. One of the themes of this year's event is how to quicken the pace of the global recovery. -
The summit is also intended to come up with government policies that support development. -
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Digital Economy, AI and Remote Working System, and managing director of the World Government Summit Organisation. -
Ohoud Al Roumi, Minister of State for Governmental Development and Future, and vice chairwoman of the World Government Summit Organisation. -
From left, Mr Al Olama, Ms Al Roumi, Mr bin Touq and Ms Mazrui address delegates at the WGS Dialogue held at the Museum of the Future in Dubai. -
Mr Al Gergawi has in the past outlined the summit's focus on technology and its impact on future governments, health and quality of life, environment and climate change, trade and international co-operation, education and its relationship to the labour market, information and communication between governments and people, and the future of individuals, communities and policies.
The conference will not solve the world's problems. Instead, it is about anticipating and preparing for future ones. The WGS has form in this regard. In 2018, World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told leaders gathered in Dubai that the world was unprepared to face a global pandemic. Just one year later, his organisation was informed of a cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the earliest instances of what was soon identified as Covid-19. At the 2017 summit, Elon Musk predicted the rise of online virtual worlds, and the year before that Jesse Powell, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, discussed the rise of Bitcoin.
In today's world, where the responsibilities and influence of the public and private sectors have never been more intertwined, it is particularly important to consult a variety of stakeholders in the conversation on boosting global preparedness. That is why this year's agenda will include events such as the Forum for Women in Government, the Global Metaverse Forum, the Time 100 Gala, in which the magazine reveals its annual list of most influential people globally, as well as the Global Crypto Forum.
Besides its role as host, the Arab world will have plenty of representation, in the form of both the Arab Meeting for Young Leaders and the Arab Government Administration Forum. Among the more than 30 agencies in attendance will be the Arab Monetary Fund and the Islamic Development bank. At a curtain-raiser event held at the newly opened Museum of the Future in Dubai, Abdulla bin Touq, Minister of Economy, announced the event will include the Investopia Investment Summit, an initiative to double the size of the UAE’s economy by 2030.
This is all taking place in a country that was one of the first to safely re-open for mass international gatherings, which are so important for global diplomacy. The event will be held at the heart of the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, a space that survived and eventually thrived during some of the most difficult years in a generation. It is fitting that at its close, so many people committed to a better, more resilient future will gather there as the world makes more steps on its road to recovery.
